Village gets estimates on replacing culvert with pedestrian tunnel that would go under Fredonia Ave.

Village of Fredonia officials have said they don’t want to see dramatic changes to Fredonia Avenue when the community’s major thoroughfare is rebuilt.

One notable exception could be tentative plans to install a pedestrian underpass on the east end of the project that would provide a safe crossing of Fredonia Avenue.

Ayers Associates, the firm the village is working with to design the road, has provided cost options for the underpass that could go as high as $174,000.

The underpass would replace an existing culvert, and would be wide enough to provide access across Fredonia Avenue at roughly Highland Street.

The crossing has been deemed important because it would connect a proposed bike and pedestrian trail on the south side of Fredonia Avenue to the logical route leading to the Northern Ozaukee School District campus.

Each of four possible designs assumes a six-foot wide sidewalk with a minimum clearance of eight feet.

• The most expensive approach — $174,000 — would be to install a 145-foot-long concrete box culvert, that would be eight feet wide and 8.5 feet high.

The engineering firm said the option could easily accommodate lighting, if the village wanted to add it in the future.

• A less costly approach — $103,000 — would be to install a 12-foot-by-11-foot Contech corrugated metal underpass pipe. A four-inch thick concrete sidewalk would be poured on the base to keep a level walking surface.

• An even less expensive approach — $95,000 — would be to install a 13-foot-by-9-foot corrugated arch pipe, which the engineer said may provide extra room for utilities to pass over the top of the pipe.

• The least costly design — $55,000 — would involve use of a 10-foot diameter corrugated metal pipe. The engineer said the smaller size would provide little additional surface drainage, so the walk would likely be wet whenever is rains heavily.

Officials said they were uncertain if those costs could be included in any bike trail grant the village secures.

The engineering firm said it would cost about $23,000 simply to replace the existing drainage culvert, which is reportedly in bad condition. If the village chooses that solution, it would have to pay the full bill.

Village President Chuck Lapicola said the cost estimates appeared high, but he wanted to share them with trustees to give them an idea of what an underpass might cost.

Lapicola said progress has been made in negotiating right-of-way acquisition for the proposed bike and pedestrian trail, with five affected property owners now willing to work with the village on the project.

He prepared an estimate that less than 1.3 acres of right-of-way would be needed for the trail, at an anticipated cost of about $6,355. If those costs hold, the tentative materials cost for the trail plan would be about $48,000.